Sunday, 16 October 2016

Diplomacy contunues in the midst of war preparations

International
talks on Syria in Switzerland's Lausanne have ended after four hours
of discussion behind closed doors. No breakthrough has apparently
been reached. Participants have agreed to further work on solving the
crisis, Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said, adding that
there are "some interesting ideas" that have been
discussed.

"There
are some ideas that we discussed today in a circle of pretty powerful
countries, that might affect the situation,"
Lavrov said following the Saturday meeting in the Swiss city, as
cited by RIA Novosti. The talks' participants have agreed to continue
working on the issue in the following days, "hoping
for certain agreements"
to help move the peace process forward, he added.

Syria and the US
apparently found Saturday’s talks to be positive. The US Secretary
of State John Kerry said that despite some tense moments the meeting
was "very
candid,"
as cited by Reuters. The Syrian side commented by saying a broad
consensus had been reached on a "number
of possibilities"
for a ceasefire in the country.

The
negotiators also urged for a political process to start in Syria "as
soon as possible,"
Russia's top diplomat said, adding that Moscow wholly supports this
initiative.

Speaking
to Turkish media following the Swiss talks, Turkish Foreign Minister
Mevlut Cavusoglu said that Ankara stands for "direct
talks"
between the Syrian government and what he called a "moderate
opposition."
He also stressed that fighting Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL)
must continue in the region, even after the ceasefire is applied in
Syria.

Representatives
of nine countries took part in Saturday's talks at Lausanne's luxury
Beau-Rivage hotel. Middle Eastern regional powers were represented by
Iraq, Iran, Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, UAE and Turkey. The UN special
envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura was also present at the talks.